Each year the world celebrates two global initiatives dedicated to recycling, each with its own origin and scope. International Recycling Day was proclaimed by UNESCO in 2005 and set on May 17 to promote the “3Rs” – reduce, reuse and recycle – as the cornerstones of sustainable waste management. For its part, Global Recycling Day emerged in 2018 at the initiative of the Global Recycling Foundation, with the support of the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), to make recycling visible as the “seventh raw material” and promote a truly circular economy every March 18.
The official legitimacy conferred on May 17 by UNESCO makes this date binding for UN member states and serves as a basis for public policies on eco-efficient design and the promotion of circularity in products and materials. On the other hand, March 18 relies on the dynamism of the private sector and the recycling industry; the BIR brings together more than 800 organizations from 70 countries and joins forces to annually award “Recycling Heroes” and launch high-profile media campaigns.
We officially celebrate International Recycling Day every May 17, organizing talks, workshops and educational campaigns focused on the adoption of the “3Rs” and on the co-responsibility of consumers, companies and administrations. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, recycling ten plastic bottles saves the energy needed to keep a laptop computer running for more than 25 hours; manufacturing aluminum from recycled material consumes 95% less energy than producing it from virgin raw materials.
Despite these benefits, challenges remain. Only 13.6 % of plastic packaging in the United States was recycled in 2018, while the rest ended up in landfills, incineration or environmental dispersal. Also, less than 9 % of global plastic is successfully recycled, showing the need for improved infrastructure, processes and citizen awareness.
To reinforce this commitment, the 2030 Agenda establishes in its Goal 12.5 the goal of “substantially reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse”. Celebrating May 17 is not just a symbolic act, but an opportunity to articulate robust public policies, encourage innovation in design and correctly recycle all types of materials.
Each separated package, each repaired or transformed object and each upcycling initiative contributes a grain of sand in the construction of more efficient management systems. By aligning our actions with the International Recycling Day proclaimed by UNESCO, we reaffirm that the second chance of resources is up to our will and global co-responsibility.
